Government should take more aggressive policy to ensure Armenia’s food security: Artur Baghdasaryan

YEREVAN, March 27. /ARKA/. The Armenian government should pursue a more aggressive policy in ensuring food security, Artur Baghdasaryan, the secretary of the National Security Council, said today in a keynote speech at the opening of a conference on agricultural development of Armenia in the context of food security. The conference was also attended by agriculture minister Sergo Karapetyan, UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Dafina Gercheva, head of the Armenian office of World Bank Jean-Michel Happi.

He said over the last two years the government has shown significant support to agriculture to ensure the country’s food security and will deepen this approach. He specified that in this context the government will implement a number of innovative projects relating to the use of specific mechanisms for the development of processing enterprises, building regional infrastructure designed to boost production.

According to him, the food security concept approved and accepted by the government, will allow to more effectively solve the problems. 

In turn, the UN Resident Coordinator in Armenia Dafina Gercheva underlined the importance of food security, stressing that the UN intends to continue to assist Armenia in the implementation of related measures.

According to her, the assistance in 2012 will embrace advisory and technical assistance. The UN will continue also to provide assistance for organization of agricultural cooperatives.

The food security concept was approved in 2011 November. Armenia’s food self-sufficiency level is about 58%. According to the concept, it is to grow in 2015 to 77% and to 84% in 2020.-0-